Snowiest December Since 1969 Finishes First Cold Year Since 1996 In St. Cloud

You don't need me to tell you that a lot of snow fell in St. Cloud during December 2008. You can see most of it piled outside. However, the numbers make December 2008 the fourth snowiest December in St. Cloud records and the snowiest since 1969. The St. Cloud Reformatory recorded 23.0 inches of snow in December 2008, more than 14 inches above normal. There were a total of 11 days with measurable snowfall, including 6.1 inches from a major storm on December 30, and daily record snowfalls on December 14 and December 20. St. Cloud even got missed by a couple of southeastern Minnesota snowstormsand did not have nearly the heaviest snowfall in any one storm. The frequent snows were part of a cold weather pattern that propelled many storms and persistently cold Canadian air from Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories into the Plains states.

The other part of this weather pattern was the persistently cold air. In December 2008, St. Cloud ended up with an average temperature of 8.5°F, 5.9°F colder than normal. That ranks as the 15th coldest out of the 128 Decembers in St. Cloud weather records and the coldest since December 2000. While high temperatures averaged nearly three degrees below normal,. the average low temperature in December was -3.3°F, 8.8°F colder than the normal average December low. That ranks as the 7th lowest December average minimum in St. Cloud records.

The heavy snow and the cold were definitely related. In our recent streak of mild winters, 2000-2001 stands out as one of the few cold winters since the winter of 1995-1996. One of the key elements of December 2000, the 3rd coldest December in St. Cloud records, was getting an early snow cover that persisted. Snow can reflect 80-90 percent of the sun's energy back to space, so having a bright white snow cover can allow arctic air masses to move into Minnesota without warming very much. Even last winter, only the second colder than normal winter since 1995-1996, we got a snow cover on December 1 and bare ground wasn't seen again until March 30. The quick snowfall on December 4 of this year kept mounting and mounting during the month. We had one day (December 15) during which the temperature never climbed above zero. On that day, St. Cloud tied records for coldest high and coldest average temperature. The following morning, the low temperature dropped to -24, setting a new record for December 16. December 2008 produced 5 days with a low temperature of at least -20 degrees. There are normally 5 days during the entire cold season with a low in the minus 20's. Another cold low on January 5 has pushed the seasonal total to 6, more than during the average cold season.

St. Cloud's melted preciptation totalled 1.58 inches, more than double the normal total. The high precipitation total missed by 0.05 inch cracking one of the 10 wettest Decembers.

The generally cold pattern has continued into early January. With even colder air sitting in Alaska right now and the continuation of the active storm track from the Canadian Rockies into the Plains, it looks like cold weather with frequent snow chances will continue for the next week.

Cool Late Winter, Spring and Cold Start to Winter Make First Cold Year Since 1996 2008 Annual Saint Cloud Weather Summary

For the first time since 1996, St. Cloud ended up with a below normal average temperature for the year 2008. The 2008 average temperature of 40.8°F was 0.9°F colder than normal. This is not extraordinarily cold, but is a marked contrast to recent years. The last 11 years have all been milder than normal with 8 of those years being at least a degree warmer than normal and 5 of those years being among the 11 warmest years in St. Cloud records.Given the fact that several of these recent years have been warm due to the mild winters, the cold late winter, spring, and December has come as quite as shock to transplants and those of us who easily forget about the very cold winters in the past.

The cold spring was spurred on by nearly unprecedented late season snowfall. In 2007-2008, there was more snow since March 1 (28.7 inches) than there was before March 1 (23.5 inches). So, 55.0% of the 2007-2008 snowfall has fallen from March 1 on. That's the 8th highest percentage of spring snowfall. There have been only 10 seasons in which half or more of the snowfall has occurred after March 1. Only three of these season (1964-1965, 2001-2002, and 2007-2008) had above normal snowfall in the year (it's much easier to get a higher percentage when there is less total snow). That included the 7th snowiest March and the 4th snowiest April. And, with us just completing the 4th snowiest December, the calendar year 2008 ended up with 62.1 inches of snow, well above the normal 45.8 inches.

The total 2008 precipitation was within a quarter inch of normal. The total was 27.36 inches, just above the 27.13 inch normal level. However, St. Cloud and central Minnesota sustained yet another growing season shortfall, although not nearly as bad as the 2007 situation. At its height (June 15-September 10), St. Cloud ended up being 4 inches below normal before more normal rainfall in September and October eased the conditions in central Minnesota. However, the summer of 2008 had near normal temperatures with only 3 days with highs of at least 90 degrees. So, the combination of dryness and heat did not approach last year's level. Still, from the Twin Cities south and eastward, moisture conditions were considerably worse, as noted in the Dry Mid-Summer report from the State Climatology Office.

Despite the cool spring, St. Cloud's growing season was well above normal. The last frost of the spring was on April 30 and the first frost in St. Cloud didn't occur until October 4, ranking as one of the later frosts in St. Cloud records. The first hard freeze (low temperature of at least 28°F) occurred on October 21, among the latest 10% of hard freezes in St. Cloud records. The growing season lasted 157 days, the longest growing season in St. Cloud since 159 days in 1970.

It should also be noted that mild winters at high latitudes are consistent with the predictions of continental winters during global warming. If 2008 continues to be an exception to the recent warm winters rather than a sign of returning to normal, then these winters will become more consistent with global warming.